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50 Random Tips & Tricks

Quite often I come across something while browsing online that just amazes me.

Things that force me to wonder "Why didn't I know about this sooner!!!"

It could be anything from a brilliant life hack, to a cleaning tip, or just something completely random.

Today I wanted to gather a few of these amazing ideas into one place and share them with you.

1. Quit wasting money on green onions! Next time you buy fresh green
onions don't toss the white ends. Instead stick them in water and place
in a sunny window. Whenever you have a recipe that calls for green
onions just snip off what you need. source

2. You can refill your Swiffer Wet Jet. Just soak the cap in hot water to soften it. Once softened the cap should easily pop off. Use nail clippers to clip off the locking tabs. Fill the container with your desired cleaner or make your own cleaning solution.

3. No more searching around behind your desk or night stand for your phone charger (Or your camera charger, computer charger, or any other charger that you have). Just pop the wire off of a binder clip, slide your cord in and pop it back on. source

4. Don't throw out the water you boil your eggs in. This water contains tons of calcium that your plants will love. Just let the water cool and dump it on your plants. source

5. Cleaning your oven doesn't have to be a pain. Just mix baking soda and water, rub it on your oven door, wait a few minutes and voila!! All that gunk will wipe right off. source

6. Magic erasers are actually just melamine foam which can be purchased on amazon (here) for a lot less than the store bought stuff. source

7. Tired of scraping ice off your windows each morning? Mix three parts vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle and spray on you window before bed. source

9. Got a runny nose? Be sure to attach an empty Kleenex box to the one you are using so you have a place to stuff those used Kleenexes. Keep a set next to the couch, one on your night stand and one in the car. This will save you many trips to the trash can. source

10. You can actually WEAR milk!! Milk (yes, real milk from cows) can be turned into a fiber which in turn can be made into beautiful clothing. source

11. You can freeze green onions! Snip off the top (the green part) of your onions before they go bad. Let them dry completely, then chop them up. Using a funnel put your chopped onions in an empty water bottle. Stick in the freezer and use as needed. source

12. Use a binder clip to hold the end of your toothpaste container in place after you squeeze it. source

13. Adding a few drops of bleach to your water before adding your bouquet of flowers will actually prevent mildew and your bouquet will last longer. source

14. Keep your boots off the floor by hanging them with pant hangers!! You can prevent the hangers from leaving marks on your boots by placing a thick piece of fabric or newspaper around the top of the boots before hanging them. source

15. Taking a trip? Forget about packing those huge containers of toothpaste, antibiotic ointment, shampoo, and conditioner. Just insert a small amount into a straw, cut to size and melt the ends together. This could also work for condiments such as ketchup and mustard, couch medicine, even small pills.

16. Fold over the bottom few inches of you dish washing gloves to catch water and keep it from running down your arms.

17. Make a key chain out of wood strips. Paint each piece with the colors in your home so when you are out shopping you will know what decor will look good in your house and what will clash. You can even write the brand and name of the paint on back so if you ever need to touch up a wall you'll know exactly what color you need. Make these fun by using wooden stars, hearts, or any other shape you can find.

18. Use old Altoids containers to organize small office supplies. source not found

19. Revive old paint brushes by soaking them in hot vinegar for 30 minutes. Afterwards, wash them in hot, soapy water, brushing off paint as needed, then rinse and let dry. source

20. Use tension rods to organize cutting boards and sheet pans. No more lifting a heavy stack of pans to get what you need out of the bottom. source

23.Garden planters are a great way to organize kids toys. You could also hang a few in the pantry to hold apples, oranges, onions, and garlic. In the shed to hold small garden tools or seed packets. In your closet to hold scarves, belts, and lingerie. Would even be great above the bath for kids bath toys, loofahs, shampoo and conditioner. So many possibilities!!! source not found

24. Lose a screw in your glasses? Just slip in an stud earring and secure it with the back. source

25. Do your dish clothes smell sour? Pour one tbsp. of non-bleach liquid dish soap and three cups of white vinegar into a clean sink or bucket. Soak the sour-smelling dishcloth in the liquids for about an hour.Rinse the dishcloth thoroughly.Wring the excess liquid from the dishcloth. The cloth doesn't need to be completely dry, as long as it's no longer dripping wet. Place the dishcloth in your washing machine. Wash and dry the dishcloth as normal. source

26. Clean your vacuum roller: Use a seam ripper to cut lint and hair that gets caught in your vacuum roller. 27. Having a party? Need extra trash cans? Stick a garbage bag inside a collapsible laundry bin. Once the party is over, collapse the bin and store. These take up little space and come in very handy. Perfect for all the wrapping paper and packaging that adds up around Christmas time. 28. Aluminum foil as a scrubber: Save your used aluminum foil and reuse it to scrub off all that baked on gunk from your glass baking pans. I use this trick all the time. Just be careful of sharp edges. Gloves would be recommended. 29. Mosquito bite? Rub the inside of a banana peel on it to stop the itch. 30. Use a white eraser to erase permanent marker: Also left in the comments of my previous post. I tried this on our entertainment center after my daughter scribbled all over it. I used a white eraser that was attached to a mechanical pencil and it didn't work. Then I tried it with one of those big chunky white erasers and it worked perfectly. I guess it depends on the eraser you use.31. Tired of getting dead weeds and grass stuck to the bottom of your picnic blanket? Sew a shower curtain to the bottom. This will also prevent soggy bottoms and mud stains.If you don't want to sew anything onto your blanket you can just lay the blanket on top of the shower curtain.32. Clean your ceiling fan: Slip a pillow case over one of your ceiling fan blades and slowly pull it back. All the dust will fall in the pillow case keeping it off of the floor and you. 33. Save those mesh bags: The mesh bags that your apples, oranges and other random fruits and vegetables come in are perfect for scrubbing dishes with. Using this trick with the tin foil stated above could save you a ton of money on sponges and dish scrubbers.34. Protect your cake frosting: Ever try to transport a cake only to get to your destination and find the frosting smeared? Stick a few pieces uncooked pasta in the top and around the sides before wrapping it. The pasta will keep the wrapping away from the sides and leave only tiny, barely noticeable holes in your cake.

35. Save your brown sugar: I keep seeing all these tips and tricks for keeping brown sugar soft. Here is what I do (hubby showed me this trick.) Place brown sugar inside a Ziploc bag. Get out as much air as possible and seal the bag. Store this in your pantry. That's it!! If you buy the brown sugar that's already in a bag just place the whole bag inside the Ziploc bag. Do not trust the seal on the resealable brown sugar bags. These do not work. Trust me. I've been doing this for ten years now and have never had to deal with hard brown sugar. 36. Magnet for easy clean up: Keep a magnet next to your sewing machine. use it to clean up pins that get scattered all over your desk or dropped on the floor. I am always dropping things. This has been a life saver for me. 37. Save those wrapping paper rolls: We all have those tight spaces in our kitchen that no vacuum or broom can get to. Under the fridge and stove, and between the cabinets and alliances. Instead of waiting till the next time you move your fridge to clean underneath, try this. Stick one end of a cardboard wrapping paper roll onto the end of your vacuum hose then flatten the other end. The flattened end can fit under your appliances allowing you to vacuum without moving them.38. Don't have a funnel! Use an envelope: Cut one end of the envelope off making a large triangle then snip off a piece from the corner. Open your envelope and voila...you have a funnel.39. Save money on artwork: Instead of buying expensive canvases cover shoe box lids in fancy fabric. You could also paint your own fabric or transfer photos onto plain white fabric before applying it to you box lids. 40. Save your glass jars: Pickle jars, baby food jars, pasta sauce jars. These are great for organizing just about everything. Craft supplies, game pieces, hair clips, office supplies, Pantry items such as beans and rice. Not only does glass look nicer than most of the containers these things originally come in but storing things in clear containers allow you to see what you have so you don't end up buying double. 41. Add screws or nails to the bottom of furniture legs before painting: This will keep the furniture off the the ground and you wont have paper or plastic (or whatever surface you paint on) stuck to your furniture when the paint dries.42. Crayon marks on the wall?WD-40 removes crayon marks from just about any surface. 43. Use dish soap for an ice pack. Fill a small ziploc bag with plain dish soap. It won't freeze solid allowing you to contour it to your body. Double up the bag to protect for leaks. 44. Tired of taking apart your blender to clean it after every use? Add a little dish soap, fill it with water and turn it on for a few seconds. Empty out your soapy water and rinse. Voila, all clean!45. De-seeding a pomegranate - Fill a large bowl with water. Cut the pomegranate in half. Holding half the pomegranate. Put the half pomegranate under the water in the bowl. Rub you
fingers through it to get the seeds out. All the inedible pulp will float to the top while the seeds will sink making it easy to separate. 46. Cleaning cast iron - Scrub your cast iron with coarse salt and a soft sponge. The salt is a
natural abrasive and will absorb oil and lift away bits of food while
preserving the pan's seasoning. Rinse away salt and wipe dry.47. Old carpet stains - Mix ammonia and hot water in a spray bottle. Liberally spay satin. set white rag over stain and iron with a hot iron. The stain will disappear like magic. Click here for more info.48. Cooking turkey dressing - If you like to cook your dressing inside the turkey, first line the
turkey's cavities with a generous piece of cheese cloth. Load the
stuffing in and close the cheese cloth over. Roast as usual for stuffed
turkey. When you get ready to remove the stuffing to a serving dish
all you need to do is pull it out of the turkey and put it into the
dish. 49. Grease stains on your clothes - Put a little Dawn dish soap on the spots. Let the dish soap dry then wash as usual. Even works on stains that have already gone
undetected through the dryer.50. For static-y hair during the fall and winter - run a dryer sheet (used or
unused)through and over your hair. Not to mention it keeps it smelling
good.51. Stick a laundry bag in your dishwasher: Small items like baby bottle nipples, pacifiers, corn holders and medicine measuring cups can get lost in the dishwasher. Throw them inside a laundry bag and place it on the top rack of the dishwasher.

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